Re: What's in your smoker?
 

thank you sir, and thanks for the help with the fuel recomendations.


butt was done after about 13 hours. left the uds run to see how long it would go at temp, and at about 16 hours it dropped off. not too shabby i guess

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Way to good of a deal to pass up. Nearly didn't all fit in the truck. :r

http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/pictur...pictureid=3971

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

A mouse Nest
It Needs a good cleaning

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I may have to try one of those things in the Lang.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Having a little CCHC/Swamp Ash herf over here tomorrow. I just finished making the cole slaw, the potato salad, and the Hog Peach Beans. Cooking a 24 pound chuck roll (I will cut it into three pieces though). Gonna season it up here in a bit and put it on about 7 or so tonight. If I can get my lazy arse to do it I will post of some pics!!

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Smoking 3 slabs of ribs right now! About to foil them!

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

What are Hog Peach Beans Brent? Sounds good. Tonight I am smoking some bone in, skin on chicken breasts and making a fennel and blood orange salad with toasted walnuts and goat cheese. My folks are coming up for a visit. I only see them about 6-7 times per year.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Woa woa brent...did u say Hog Peach Beans?? U're hog apple beans were outta this world, can't wait to try the peach variety :dr

24 pound chuck roll :jd

Can't wait for tomorrow bro!

:tu

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

got a brisket in the smoker right now


http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/s...0MTAtMTMyN.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/s...0MTAtMTMzM.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/s...0MTAtMTMzM.jpg

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

it all sounds pretty dam tasty to me!!! have a great herf man, wish it was closer.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Gonna cook a Paella on top of the charcoal ring. It fits in perfect and should give equal heat. Fingers are crossed!

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

:dr:dr:tu:tu:banger

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

MMMmmmmmmmmmmmm :dr......some lucky herfers right there!

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Did pastrami yesterday....took 2 4lb corned beef flats....soaked em for 36 hours to leech some of the salt brine out....season with a pastrami rub I made....lots of peppercorns and coriander seeds, smoked paprika, turbinado sugar, garlic, onion powder, some Montreal steak season, salt, and probably a few other things into the mortar and pestle to grind/crack....rubbed down the flats....onto the BDS at 225 which held steady....lump with 2 hickory chunks.....was taking 'em to 170 internal....one came off in 4 hours and the other was a a little more stubborn, took about 5 1/2 to reach the desired temp.....sliced one up nice and thin....made a great sandwich for dinner on rye....also threw on some sausage and and onion for lunch (smoked onion is KILLER!)....
http://i313.photobucket.com/albums/l...Smoker/089.jpg
http://i313.photobucket.com/albums/l...Smoker/095.jpg
http://i313.photobucket.com/albums/l...Smoker/100.jpg
http://i313.photobucket.com/albums/l...Smoker/103.jpg
http://i313.photobucket.com/albums/l...Smoker/112.jpg

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

:dr:dr

Yer killin' me here! I'm just a couple of hours up the road from Brent and I've been smelling his smoker all night, now this. Oh the inhumanity of it all :D

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

hahaha....if I could ship you a sandwich I would!!:r

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Wow, never done a corned beef on the smoker. Gonna put that on the list. Does it cook quicker than a brisket of the same weight?

In Montreal, they steam the brisket first then finish it on the smoker.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

:tu

I have never tried to do that in my smoker. I may have to talk to you about it when things settle down around here!

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I think a little quicker because the beef is "cured"....and with a brisket, I'm taking it to 185 or so , i.e. on the smoker longer....you can smoke to 150 and pressure cook or steam to finish....tasty stuff!

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Killer looking pastrami Keith. I haven't done that in a while!!

Here are some pics I took of the cook for the herf:
Attachment 5845

Chuck roll divided and rubbed

Attachment 5846

Into the smoker

Attachment 5847

About 7:00 Sunday morning... stuck at the plateau for ever

Attachment 5848

Ready for foil

Attachment 5849

A few racks of ribs and a fatty for good measure

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Here is the dinner:

Attachment 5850

Pulled chuckie
Rib tips
cole slaw
potato salad
hog peach beans
cake for dessert (not shown)!!!

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

:dr:dr:dr:dr

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

That's a helluva spread there gator.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

See you went "lite" this time....:r......fine lookin' eats my friend!

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

This weekend I FINALLY pulled my head out of my azz long enough to realize
that the reason I rarely ever finish a Boston Butt is that I can't get the smoke
ring down into that huge chunk of meat. I love smoked pork, but that's alot
of pork that is just OK tasting. So barring a Cajun Injector, I just gave up.
Then I thought derh, cut it up into pieces. So I had a butt this weekend and
I cut 5 pieces about 5 inches long x 4 inches deep and wide and left the bone
in section as just a 5 or 6 inch cube. I arranged them out with a few pieces
of boudin blanc and let em smoke away. Came back after three hours and
re-established my coal pile and added more hickory chunks and went another
3 hours....In one word. Perfection. I am never cooking a butt whole again.
At least for my consumption. I waste so much meat, just because I love to
cook outdoors. I might cook a butt and two racks of ribs, and I am bored
with it after a few days, and it's just me eating it. Sometimes my landlady will
take a bunch, but like I said, I am cooking just for the pleasure in cooking.
Now at least I can cook a whole butt and eat it, too.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

It was an awesome supper indeed. You're in for a treat Keith when u finally get to taste it at EPIC III

-(P

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I take a little nugget like this as gold. I have never ventured to THINK about HD selling charcoal.
I need to pick up a bag of quikcrete today, I guess I will try this out.
As for fuel though, I am really a lump charcoal guy. Mostly cause of the fact that briquets
are $hit for big cooking. Like was said elsewhere, you get store brand or cheap and it burns
store brand and cheap. Spend your whole day getting your pile hot again. The chunk is
the only thing I find burns for long periods. I also burn trash sticks alot, as I have several
pecan trees around. I use sticks and twigs to get my fire going, then add the charcoal and
wait 15 mins and i am rolling. Thanks for the tip on the Rancher stuff.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

No doubt about it! :tu

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I think this is a pretty bold statement, cause smoking IS SO varied and has so many nuances that make it a very
private affair. The basics are not even set in stone. When you get to the preferences, it just goes into
so many tangents.
But it is VERY GOOD to be so prolific a poster on the subject, and the photos are great, too.
Personally, I need to be more disciplined about photos. My butt chunks were so gorgeous this weekend
that I think they would have played pretty nice here. But it is a smart man that says "I don't want
to come off as a know-it-all" because it is very easy to do so. I think everyone here
who posts alot is basically saying, " I know a $hitload about this, and this is what
works for me. If you think you want to follow my advice, this is what you can expect.
Your mileage may vary." I think these threads are a great bazaar of ideas and results
and tips and pics. If you can't read the whole thread and emerge a better smoker,
you just ain't tryin.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Sorry, by this I mean that the kind I tended to buy are $hit for long cooking.
I USED to buy briquets, and 7 in ten times, I bought the cheapest kind.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

OLS, I have had good results too by cutting up a butt. I get more bark that way. However, I don't use that small of chunks/strips. Mostly I just cut a whole butt in half.

If you like those strips/chunks you made, you can always buy Country Style Ribs at your local grocery. All they are is a Pork butt that the butcher has cut up. Sometimes they can be found at lower than whole butt prices.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Very nice lookin spread there Gator, vary nice indeed. :dr

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

To me, I've found that it doesn't matter if it's briquettes or lump; cheap is cheap and crap is crap and being cheap doesn't necessarily make it crap, and crap isn't always cheap.

True there is a greater number of fuels that are both cheap and crappy in the same bag. Some of the cheap briquettes are pretty bad (usually house brands), as are some of the cheap lumps (like cowboy, best of the west, imported royal oak). But there are also some really good inexpensive lumps (US made royal oak) and some good inexpensive briquettes (and KF is actually very reasonably priced when purchased in large 30-40+lb packs)

Some cooks like briquettes, some like lump, some like logs. It's whatever works for you, as there is no one be-all, end-all fuel that is perfect for everyone.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

It is definitely a place where 'you get what you paid for' comes into play.

I've heard great things about "Wicked Good Charcoal" but have yet to try it.
I'm a steadfast user of the K-bluebag. And I rarely do anything other than overnight Butts (until this year...!!).

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Haha, I am glad I didn't get that cowboy stuff today. For some reason Rancher's select or
Rancher's choice or whatever slipped out of my mind,and besides I was at Lowe's anyway.
But I looked at that stuff, and thought, no, you HAVE coal for now. But I did pick up a
cheap smoker to replace my old dinosaur. I picked up one from a friend who's apartment
mgmt told him it needed to be gone from the pool area or it would be tossed in a dumpster.
I smoked with it all last year. The bottom is near rusted out, and I couldn't move the vents
anymore, they were so greased in and rusted out that the tabs almost tore off...So I got this device.
I am good enough to not need the best quipment to get the best results.:D But for about
half of what I was prepared to pay, I will do fine with this.
I remember my Mom used to bring home those Country style ribs back when I leved with
her after my Dad died. I only ever grilled them. I might have to check on smoking some
next time they go onsale.

As for coal, I tend to use Kingsford lump or another highend lump. OR I just burn whatever tree
I have cut down lately or on my lunch hour I tend to cruise the streets looking for woodpiles
out by the street.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

You gotta read this....
http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lumpdatabase/lumpbag6.htm

In fact, you REALLY gotta read THIS.....
http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lumpindexpage.htm?bag

Sorry if this is placed elsewhere already, but what was found in the COWBOY brand charcoal,
also sold as FreshMarket and WholeFoods, Martha Stewart and Williams Sonoma charcoal .
PLYWOOD, lol.

This page was extremely helpful to me, because I use Kingsford lump which is rated very low
for crappy sizes and excessive dust, and I shun "Best Choice" (Piggly Wiggly store brand), but
it is actually rated as very good and is made by Royal Oak. Learned something quite useful today.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

That's a very good site, whenever I run across a brand I'm thinking about trying, I'll check it there first, depending on what they have to say, I might or might not try it.

Yeaup, I've seen those photos. For gilling I predominately use lump and I've personally seen some questionable stuff come out of various bags of lump over the years. I tend to use KF briqs for the BBQ pit because they are the most consistant fuel you can buy, every briquette, every bag, is exactly the same.

I think it was a bag of cowboy that I found used nails in about 10 years ago.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Good old cowboy lump charcoal???

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

OH MAN, it's almost officially the weekend and I have YET to purchase my first meat for the new grill.
I have a ton of stuff frozen and ready for a moment's notice should a great weekend pop up, but this
new grill calls for something special. I put it together last evening, and I did a pretty good job. Calls for
2 people, but so did my large tin shed. I had so many ropes, pulleys and bungie cords in service, I
LAUGH at two person jobs, HA. Modified it as called for on the interwebs, and am going to season it
this afternoon and maybe begin a cook tonight, too. I am guessing a brisket, but I am dying to do that
superslab, what does Raichlen call it again? ...it came to me in a dream and now I have forgotten it.
One word. --interweb--dern, can't find it easy. A clop, a clup dangit

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I'm not sure. I'm a big fan of Steve Raichlen, even traded some recipes with him a few years ago, but dammed if I can place the name for what you're talking about.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

A clod? I am thinking that is it. lemme re-interweb. Hahaha, it WAS
a clod. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beef_clod

GET THIS>>>It is often served in institutional cafeterias due to its low price and the fact that it is easily mass cooked in dishes such as soups, lasagna, and gruel.

hahahaha

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Ohhh, beef chuck roast/cut...

Mongo like pulled beef chuck...

http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showpo...&postcount=388

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I plan to do a butt this weekend. I got some new rub and going to see how it works out. Going to be a little different as the end result is going to be for a latin dish.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I was in a habitat second hand store in Davidson, NC a few weeks ago, and my mother and sister
were trying to get me to find something I wanted to throw in the basket, but I was happy just to
look. Then my eyes landed on a can like a small cookie tin, with some kind of martha stewart-looking
graphics on it, you know, the one odd color and big giant letters etc. NOT martha by the way,
just yuppie-ish. Anyway, it's RUB in the can, and I thought hell, discout spices are always good.
It was sealed, so WTH. In the can were 4 separate bags of sealed up spices. It was neat cause
beyond some of the dusty spices there were chunks of woody matter that must have ended up
being citrus zest or some kind of bark spice. It also had achiote in it, which I never add, but should.
I did my cut up butt with it last weekend and it kicked A$$!! I am going to check out what, if any,
brand name was on it and let you know. Man it was good. I just usually end up mixing whatever
spices I have. That's the kind of cook I am, anyway. Recipes are expensive.:D I also took my
expectations down a notch today...new grill, I think I am going to just do some "western style
ribs" pork butt slices. Why waste meat on new techno. If it works out, maybe sat I will thaw
some ribs for Sunday.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

i put a butt on at 8:00 this morning. gonna take it to a herf tomorrow... hope it dont poison anyone.



http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/s...0MTYtMTI1N.jpg

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

You need a smaller grill or more meat, :r:r

Well, OK with indirect heat, that IS the correct deallie-o

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

i know, it does look so lonely in the smoker. it was full of ribs yesterday, but i forgot to take pics.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Very Nice. Great to see some more of actually "Whats in your Smoker" :tu

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

last weekends brisket, forgot to post the end product. anejo shark ready to go while the brisket rested.


http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/s...0MTAtMTU1N.jpg

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

We braise it and call it Pot Roast, here in New England.